Archive | Benin

The end use verification (EUV) survey was conducted on December 21-30, 2017, in the departments of Zou and Collines. The main objective of the EUV survey was to verify the continuous availability of malaria commodities in malaria patients’ last point of contact. The survey intended to ensure that good diagnostic and prescription practices within these last points of contact, i.e., health facilities (health clinics or zone hospitals), were in line with the new treatment guidelines. Data collection period was December 26-30, 2017.

DPMED is responsible for registration of medicines prior to importation by licensed importers and their use by health providers and consumers. However, the department is hindered in execution of its mandate because of several challenges. The extent of illegal and unregistered medicines in circulation is not uncommon. DPMED is constrained by its capacity to effectively regulate the pharmaceutical sector with consequent inefficiencies in key processes, such as medicine registration, leading to delayed access to life-saving medicines. For these reasons, the Benin MOH sought assistance from USAID to help strengthen the medicine registration system for effective performance to hasten access to quality assured medicines. The SIAPS Program conducted a rapid assessment of the medicine registration system in November 2016, and in August 2017, conducted a detailed assessment of the medicine registration system at DPMED. Based on the findings from the two assessments conducted by the SIAPS Program, several recommendations were made. One of the recommendations was to optimize the medicine registration process by establishing a consistent way of handling registration dossiers to promote an efficient process. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) were developed so that the registration department could operate more efficiently. In addition, the SOPs served as a prerequisite for establishing an effective and sustainable electronic medicine registration system.

In November 2016, SIAPS offered technical assistance to DPMED to optimize the current medicine registration system, potentially by using the web-based medicine registration tool Pharmadex. After the assessment at DPMED in August 2017, SIAPS found that the SIGIP-ARP system in place was a software recommended for the regional West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) member states and was preferred by DPMED. Hence, it was jointly resolved to strengthen the system already in place. A server room was setup and a rack server installed to hold the current and any other future systems for DPMED (e.g., inspection software). SIGIP-ARP was modified to improve its performance, which has enabled DPMED to do concurrent data entry of registration applications. DPMED is currently progressing on this task, and SIGIP-ARP can generate monitoring reports, which the director can use for management purposes. DPMED has yet to develop monitoring and evaluation indicators to track the data entry.

In November 2016, at the request of USAID/Benin, SIAPS conducted a rapid assessment of the medicines registration system of the Direction de la Pharmacie, du Médicament et des Explorations Diagnostiques (DPMED) in Benin and made recommendations to address the challenges arising from its current information system. The assessment identified opportunities to improve regulatory processes for the efficient and transparent registration of medicines. The purpose of SIAPS’s technical assistance visit in August 2017 was to conduct a situational analysis regarding the findings and recommendations made after SIAPS conducted a rapid assessment in November 2016. The goal was also to develop appropriate recommendations and a plan for the implementation of Pharmadex software and the management system of the medicines registration process at DPMED, Benin.

In an effort to improve the health status of the Beninese population, a priority activity included in the 2015 convention between the US Government, represented by USAID, and the Benin Government, represented by the Ministry of Health (MOH), was to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the public health supply chain, focused on essential medicines that are associated with the package of low-cost, high-impact interventions. SIAPS undertook this assessment in close collaboration with and under the leadership of the MOH, represented by the National Health Products Supply Chain. This report presents information on the capability, maturity, and operational performance of Benin’s health supply system, along with a strategic plan of interventions to address identified weaknesses that will allow reliable supply and use of medicines in the health system.

The director of the Department of Pharmacy, Medicines, and Diagnostics (DPMED) wishes to adopt suitable software to strengthen the registration system for medicines and other health products. Although computerization yields improvements in the management of regulatory information, its effectiveness will largely depend on the presence of adequate medicines registration procedures and the system’s overall compliance with regional and international standards. This rapid evaluation thus seeks to analyze and understand Benin’s regulatory information management system for medicines registration, make appropriate recommendations, and propose an action plan based on emerging outcomes.

The availability and quality of HIV commodity, including antiretrovirals and HIV test kits, increases the demand for HIV care services and enables the scale-up of antiretroviral therapy. In West Africa and Central Africa, stock-outs often occurred because of poor coordination and information sharing among partners and lack of a reliable early warning system.

With funding from USAID West Africa and in collaboration with West African Health Organization and key stakeholders involved in the procurement and supply management at country and regional levels, SIAPS has provided supports to six countries in West and Central Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea, Niger, and Togo. These countries will set up a web-based early warning system known as the HIV and AIDS Commodity Management Tool (OSPSIDA) to monitor HIV and AIDS commodities.

USAID’s West African office asked SIAPS to provide support to six countries in the West and Central African region—Burkina Faso, Benin, Cameroon, Guinea, Niger, and Togo—to establish a web-based regional dashboard (OSPSIDA.org) that will create an early warning system (EWS) to monitor HIV and AIDS commodities and to detect and minimize the risk of stock-out in the focus countries.

In pursuit of this objective, and to ensure local ownership and long-term sustainability, the West African Health Organization (WAHO) has been involved since the project’s inception and has provided useful input during the design phase and official launch in Accra in April 2014. However, for the long-term sustainability of the dashboard and in an effort to support WAHO’s strategy of setting up security stock for West African countries, it is necessary to transfer the dashboard to WAHO’s Essential Medicines and Vaccines Program as its final home.

A strong pharmaceutical management system is critical for responding to and preventing public health emergencies. The US Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Systems for Improved Access to Pharmaceuticals and Services (SIAPS) Program, implemented by Management Sciences for Health (MSH), is helping four countries affected by Ebola—Sierra Leone, Guinea, Mali, and Benin—recover and rebuild essential drug management and delivery services and to increase their capacity and sustainability. The two-year project began in 2015.